Lost and Found
by FaithinBones
Summary: The identification of one of the skeletons in Bones Storage will have a profound affect on Booth. This story is AU.
1. Chapter 1

(The Party in the Pants)

A/N: This story was the idea of daisesndaffidols and it's definitley AU.

I really don't own Bones.

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"The subject is female, Caucasian between the ages of 25 and 35 . . . she clearly suffered a broken pelvis at around the time of her death . . . numerous signs of old breaks a lot of remodeling . . . she appears to have suffered from a lot of physical abuse for quite awhile." Brennan leaned over the bones laid out on the stainless steel table without touching any of them. When she first began an examination of one of the 'lost ones' in Bones Storage, it was customary for her to lay them out carefully on a table and then observe them.

These particular bones had been found in the Allegheny National Forest in 1981 by a truffle hunter. The McKean county coroner had been unable to identify the victim and when the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab had opened for business, the remains had been sent there in hopes that someday she would be identified and her family given closure. With the bones, the coroner included several small plastic bags of personal effects that had been found with the victim. Most of them had been heavily damaged from exposure to the elements and had provided no clues that could point to the identity of the victim. The coroner had surmised that the victim had been buried in a fairly shallow grave sometime in 1980 and was unearthed by the poor truffle hunter a year later.

While Brennan continued to observe parts of the victim's skeleton, Hodgins was busy with the personal items found with the victim as well as the particulates the Pennsylvania State Police had collected in the grave and surrounding area. The shoes worn by the victim had been cheap leather flats. At one time they had been solid black, but were now a faded deep gray. The grave had also contained a thin silver necklace with a small silver cross attached and a wedding ring. The band of gold was rather plain, but it had value which lead Hodgins to believe that this had not been a robbery gone bad, but a murder. Oddly there had also been a toy soldier in the grave with the woman. It had been found in the pocket of what remained of a pair of navy slacks.

Wendell was the intern assigned that week to help Brennan and he found the victim to be both interesting and tragic. "Murdered and buried in the only national forest in Pennsylvania. Hodgins says there was a toy soldier buried with her."

That piece of information was interesting to Brennan. "She gave birth, so it is possible the toy belonged to her child. That of course is speculation, but still a likely scenario."

It always amused Wendell that his mentor hated conjecture, so when she voiced any theories, she was careful to make sure anyone that heard her knew that it wasn't a fact but speculation. "So a mother, Caucasian, a wedding ring . . . probably married, a silver cross which meant she might have been religious, about 30 years of age, broken bones that were healed and a broken hip and several ribs that weren't. Not enough to ID the body, but it's a start."

"Yes, it's a start." Brennan was through making observations and was now ready to examine the bones. "I see a hairline fracture of the frontal bone . . . I am confident we will be able to add more information including the cause of death."

Wendell picked up the broken pelvis in his gloved hands and began to help in the search of the identity of their poor unfortunate victim. He hoped that they succeeded in finding out who the woman was and perhaps find the murderer as well.

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As part of their search for clues, Wendell was directed by Brennan to remove one of the victim's teeth from her maxilla and use it to determine what isotopes could be found. It was hoped that it would pinpoint where the woman had grown up and it did. She had lived most of her life in the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania area. This allowed Booth to begin searching missing person's databases for the name of their victim. It didn't take too long to come up with a list and much to Booth's surprise and shock he saw a familiar name on one of the lists.

Checking the data provided by Brennan very carefully, Booth felt a cold chill run down his back and he knew he had to go to the Lab as soon as possible. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

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The entomologist was busy checking the bits of material found with the victim hoping to pinpoint the manufacturer of the clothing when Booth entered his office. "Hodgins, Bones said there was some jewelry found with the victim and a toy. May I see them?"

The look of dread on Booth's face made Hodgins shiver with fear. He didn't know what was going on, but clearly the FBI Agent was upset and that couldn't be good for anyone. "Sure, no problem." Opening a box located on a table near his desk, Hodgins handed Booth three small plastic bags containing the articles the agent wanted to see.

His throat felt tight as he took the bags. Booth was afraid to look at what was in his hand, but he didn't really have a choice. He had to make sure. Carefully, he looked at the gold ring, the silver necklace and finally he examined the toy soldier. Feeling ill, Booth handed the bags back to Hodgins and stared at them while Hodgins fidgeted in front of him. Unable to say anything, the agent abruptly turned on his heels and marched out of the entomologist's office, down the hallway and out of the Lab.

Not sure what had happened, Hodgins raced out of his office and down the hall to Brennan's office. Finding her there, he told her what had transpired in his office, hoping she'd know what was going on.

His worse fears had been confirmed and Booth felt numb. For 32 years he had wondered where she was, but he had never actively searched for her. She had run away and he had assumed she didn't want to be found. That time in his life was a messy blur to Booth and he rarely thought about it, but when he did, he remembered his father had told him that after he had taken his wife to the hospital she had stayed for a few weeks to recover and then disappeared from the hospital. She had run away because she didn't want to be a mother and wife anymore. Marianne Booth had run away because she didn't love her family anymore.

It had been a lie. Now he knew what had really happened. His father had probably murdered his mother, buried her on the other side of the state and claimed she had run away. How was he supposed to accept that? How could he wrap his head around the horror of his discovery? He truly was an orphan and he had been since his father had died.

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After Hodgins had left her office, Brennan sat down at her desk and made a list of the facts about the victim she was working on and it dawned on her that if Booth had run what they had in missing person's databases he might have found someone listed that he knew. With that in mind, Brennan had Angela run the data through the same databases that Booth had access to and once it was compiled they both read the lists. One name glaringly popped out of the list and Brennan knew why Booth was so upset.

She tried numerous times to call Booth, but each call ended up in Voice Mail. After leaving two messages, she stopped leaving messages and called every fifteen minutes. Once an hour had passed and still no word from Booth, Brennan told Cam that she had to leave. Cam was just as concerned as Brennan was and offered to help search for him, but Brennan declined. Not sure where to look, she started at the Hoover. Not finding him in the building, she drove home and eventually found him sitting in the back yard on the patio.

Closing the back door behind her, Brennan moved across the patio and sat down next to Booth. "I know Booth and I'm sorry for your loss."

His mind far away, Booth wasn't aware that he had company. The thoughts that stormed through his mind were dark and terrible. He remembered the night his mother disappeared from his life, but until now he had never questioned what he had seen.

His father had come home drunk and after taking his shoes off at the door he had staggered over to the stairs only to feel sharp pain lance through his left foot. Outraged, he had leaned over and found a toy soldier under his foot. Furious the man had charged up the stairs, threw open his son's bedroom door and roared in anger about the toy soldier. Booth remembered being snatched from his bed and his father hitting him over and over. His mother had charged into the room and grabbed her son from her drunken husband, probably saving his life.

Edwin had screamed at his wife and threw the toy soldier at her. She had put Booth down on the floor, picked up the toy and had told him to run and hide. The boy had fled down the stairs and hid in the kitchen closet. Soon he had heard his father come down the stairs pulling his mother with him. Terrified he had heard his father threaten to kill him and his mother screaming that Edwin had to leave her son alone. Booth had stood in the closet his small body shaking.

Apparently his father had thought his son was in the basement, opened the door and shoved Marianne down the stairs to get their son. Something had happened and Booth had heard her scream. The noises made him believe that she had fallen down the stairs. Horrified he had left the closet and stood at the top of the stairs as he watched his father lean over his mother to check on her. Marianne's screams still rang in his ears. She had been in a lot of pain and Edwin carried her back upstairs into the kitchen. Spying his oldest son, he had told Booth to watch over Jared and that he was taking Marianne to the hospital. The sight of her being carried out into the driveway, her moans accenting every step Edwin made was the last memories he had of his mother.

"Booth." Brennan could see that Booth was in shock. How he had got home was beyond her, but he had and she was afraid for him. Leaving her chair, she placed her arms around him and heard him suddenly start to cry. It was the saddest thing she had ever heard and she hoped she would never hear it again.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(The Party in the Pants)

A/N: Remember, this story is very AU.

I don't own Bones.

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Her fear for Booth grew as the day started to end. At first he had seemed in a state of shock and then he had cried in her arms, but afterward he seemed to shut down completely and he hadn't moved since the crying had ended.

While keeping a careful watch over Booth, Brennan called Angela and asked her to pick up Christine from Daycare and keep her for the evening. She had given her friend a short explanation about what was going on and Angela had assured her that she would keep Christine for as long as it was necessary.

Once that call was complete, Brennan sat down next to her mate and talked to him. "The victim might be your mother Booth, but that hasn't been confirmed yet. Cam is running a DNA test on our victim right now. Don't you think it would be better if we had proof first instead of assuming it's your mother?"

Since Booth refused to answer her and continued to stare at the ground below his feet, Brennan knew that it was going to be hard to get him to listen to her. "Remember when I found my mother's remains in Bones Storage? It was a terrible moment when I realized that the bones that I had been handling belonged to my mother . . . you were so sweet to me, Booth. I never told you how glad I was that you were there for me at that time. You helped me find my mother's killer and eventually that led to the discovery that my father was still alive. It was all such a shock, but you helped me get through it."

He heard her words and he knew that he was worrying her, but how could he live with the grief he felt? "I saw him take her out to the car and drive away and I didn't do anything. I could have called Pops or the police or my Aunt Ruth, but I didn't call anyone. I let him take my mother away and he killed her . . . I let him kill her."

"We don't know if the victim at the Lab is your mother, Booth. We don't know anything right now." Outraged that Booth had let that kind of thought enter his mind, Brennan stood up and then knelt in front of her lover and partner. "How old were you Booth? You were ten years old . . . ten years old when your mother disappeared."

"I was old enough to pick up a phone." The guilt that Booth felt made him feel numb. He wanted to feel something, but all he felt was numb. "I could have called Pops or the police, but I didn't do anything. I trusted . . . I trusted him. How could I do that?"

Grasping his wrists, Brennan shook her head. "Your father told you that he was taking your mother to the hospital and you believed him. Why wouldn't you believe him? Booth you believed him because it was the logical thing to do. Your mother was hurt and Edwin Booth said he was going to take Marianne to the hospital. It was natural to believe him and you did nothing wrong . . . Did Marianne cry out for you to stop your father when he was taking her to the car? Did it appear that she was afraid to go with him?"

He wanted to believe her, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe what she was saying. "She was in a lot of pain . . . I should have called the police."

"And what Booth? For all you know your father took your mother to the hospital and she did run away when she got the chance. You are assuming the bones at the Lab belong to your mother. They may not be. The DNA tests will tell us if it is her or not. You're doing a lot of assuming and what have you told me about assuming anything? Didn't you fuss at me two weeks ago when I assumed you had spilled the bottle of syrup in the kitchen and left it for me to clean up? What did you say? If you assume something it makes an ass out of you and me. That's what you said."

She was making sense or at least she thought she was, but he knew something that she didn't. His mind now on the toy soldier found with their victim, Booth cleared his throat and finally looked Brennan in the eyes. "The toy soldier, if you look at the bottom of the soldier's feet, he's . . . there is a circle of plastic that he's standing on . . . if you look at it you'll see some scratches . . . SB . . . I scratched SB onto my soldier because Jared kept stealing my toys and playing with them. When he did . . . when he did I'd show him my initials and take the toy away . . . he didn't care, he always stole my toys . . . anyway SB is on the bottom of the soldier. It's my toy and the victim is my mother. I don't need a DNA test to tell me what I already know. My mother is dead and my father killed her."

Brennan was shocked and she wasn't sure what to say, but she knew she had to say something. "Perhaps she died of some injury she sustained while falling down the stairs and Edwin panicked. Perhaps he didn't kill her, but he did drive across the state and buried her in the forest, because he thought he was the cause of her death. You told me in the past that your mother fell down the stairs and she was hurt badly. Do you know if he pushed her or she fell? If he didn't push her and she just fell then he didn't kill her."

Snorting, Booth shook his head. "I may not have seen her push my mother down the stairs, but I heard him. He was shouting and I heard him tell her to go downstairs and look for me and he slapped her pretty hard. That's when I heard the scream and her falling down the stairs. I left the closet I was hiding in in the kitchen and he was downstairs bending over her . . . talking to her. He wasn't angry anymore. He was scared. I may have only been ten, but I could see he was scared and so was I . . . Could you tell if she died from the fall or if he killed her? Will you be able to give me an answer? I mean yeah, she could have died from the fall and he panicked . . . Do you really believe that? Can you prove how she died?"

"Yes, of course, Booth. You know I can." Brennan was the best in the world when it came to forensic anthropology and she knew she would find out how their victim had died. "I'm the best in my field, you know that. I will find out what happened to our victim and I will verify who she is. If you give me the time I need, I will be able to give you firm, honest answers to your questions."

Slowly, Booth nodded his head and realized that he did need to give Brennan time. She was good, but it was a long process and he trusted her to find out what had happened to his mother. Standing, he took her hands in his hands and pulled Brennan to her feet. "It's getting dark, let's go inside."

As she followed Booth into the house, Brennan knew that she would have to have to find out what had happened to the victim as soon as possible. If she really was Booth's mother then he would be devastated, but he needed answers. When she could give them to him, she hoped that he would accept the answers and move on like she had. She just hoped he could handle the pressure. He was strong, but everyone had limits. Everyone.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(Party in the Pants)

Thank you for reviewing my story.

I don't own Bones.

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The DNA tests came back and their victim was indeed Marianne Booth. Brennan was still searching for cause of death and because this was her mate's mother, her frustration was starting to build. She wanted to be able to tell Booth how his mother had died, but so far she had been unable to find the answer. Unfortunately, it looked like the answers weren't in the bones and since most of the flesh wasn't available to examine, she was beginning to worry that she was going to let Booth down.

Angela entered the examination room and stood just inside the doorway. She watched her best friend holding a very small bone in her hand and the dark look on her face made Angela worry for her. "Bren, you'll find the answer. Maybe you're just trying too hard. Sometimes when I'm painting and I can't get the colors to work or the vision in my head to translate to the canvas I have to stand back and give myself a chance to relax. Forcing the issue just makes the situation worse."

She knew that Angela was right, but Brennan was under pressure from Booth to get answers and she didn't want to disappoint him. Carefully placing the bone down on the table, she removed her gloves and threw them in the biohazard bin. "Booth blames himself. He thinks that if he had called the police when his mother had been hurt Marianne would be alive today." Her mate was in pain and it made her feel ill that she couldn't help him. "He was just ten years old and he was already feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now he wants to add to it and I don't know how to help him. I need to find out how Marianne died."

"And you will, Bren. You always do." Angela was worried that Brennan was working herself into exhaustion. "Let's go to lunch. You need to eat and you need to step back from these bones. You need to rest and come back and look at them refreshed. You know that helps when you're stuck. Get Wendell to look at these bones again and see if he missed something or call in Clark. He's never seen these bones before and he might have a different perspective."

Annoyed that she hadn't thought of that, Brennan nodded her head. "Yes, I think asking Clark to help would be beneficial. He does excellent work. Not as good as me of course, but he has found things in the past that has helped me and his input was valuable in several cases he helped me with." Brennan removed her Lab coat and moved over to the door. "I won't expect him to find the answer, but he might find something that will point the way."

"There you go." Relieved that Brennan had agreed to the break, Angela walked beside her friend to her office so she could get her purse. "Besides you have only had the bones for three days and I've seen you take longer to find the answer. You'll get this. I know you will."

Brennan hoped so. Booth was in a strange terrible mood and she wanted to get him out of it as soon as possible.

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Not sure he was doing the wise thing, Sweets knew he was doing the right thing. "Booth, may I speak to you?"

"No." The last thing Booth wanted was his young friend getting all shrinky with him. He was having a hard enough time concentrating on his work and he didn't need the distraction.

Undeterred the younger man stepped into the office and over to Booth's desk. "Booth, I really need to talk to you."

Annoyed that Sweets wasn't taking no for an answer, Booth slammed his pen down and glared at the profiler. "My mother is dead, my father may have killed her. I'm sad. Okay? Got it?"

"No, it's not okay." Sweets sat down and tried to appear relaxed, an almost impossible task since Booth was oozing hate at the moment. "You're tired, you're cranky, you yell at anyone that talks to you and Deputy Director Bishop has heard about it. He wants you to go home and stay away from the Hoover until you're finished dealing with your mother's death."

Grimly, Booth stood up, grabbed his jacket, made sure his gun and badge were with him and moved towards the door.

Unwilling to let his friend just leave, Sweets stood up and spoke up. "If you need to talk to someone I'm available. If you want me to I can leave work and hang out with you . . . you know as a friend."

"I don't need a babysitter." Booth paused in the doorway and glanced back at the younger man. "You mean well and thank you, but I don't want company right now. I just need to be left alone."

"No you don't." Sweets walked over to where his friend was standing and placed his hand on Booth's arm. "You really don't."

His temper barely under control, Booth knew that he had to calm down or he might do something he would regret later. "Fine, whatever."

As Booth walked over to the elevator, he barked out to Agent Burns. "I'm leaving. If you need anything check with Deputy Director Bishop. Don't call me for anything."

Actually relieved that Booth was leaving the office, Charlie raised his hand. "Got it." _Like anyone would want their head chopped off trying to call you._

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Not sure what to do with himself, Booth drove over to the firing range to let off some steam. Sweets sat quietly in the truck and watched Booth drive aggressively. He knew if he said anything the agent would just vent and since the man was driving, Sweets didn't want to become a statistic.

Amazingly, they arrived at the firing range unharmed. Once they were there and Booth had parked near the entrance, he removed a box of shells from the back of his truck and trudged into the range. Signing in, he took the farthest lane away from the exit while Sweets signed in for the lane next to Booth. He had his gun with him, but not a box of bullets like Booth did. Since he wasn't really there to shoot, he thought he might let off a round or two and then just observe Booth.

Calmly, Booth made sure he had some ear protection on, lined up in the lane and shot until his gun was empty. After reloading his gun, he shot at the target once more until it was empty. Staring at the target, he decided that a torn piece of paper wasn't doing it for him. What he really wanted was his father's neck in his hands, but the man was dead and out of his reach. He had always hated his father, but he had never wanted him dead and now he did and that worried him. It worried him a lot. He didn't want to be that guy, bitter with the world, angry with everyone, pissing off his family and friends. He knew he needed to stop what he was doing and he needed to do it soon.

Refilling the chambers of his gun, he placed it in his holster, closed the box of shells and left. Surprised that Booth had quit so soon, Sweets followed Booth back to his car and entered the passenger side before Booth could drive off without him. Silence seemed to be the state of affairs between them right now and Sweets was fine with that. He was shadowing Booth at the moment so the man wouldn't be alone and he knew that Booth had to appreciate that even if he couldn't admit that to himself.

Once he was in his truck, Booth drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and tried to think what he wanted to do. He knew he couldn't go to the Lab because Brennan would think he was harassing her. She was already feeling too much pressure trying to find out how his mother had died and he was starting to regret doing that to her. He had been mean to everyone the last few days including Brennan and he knew he was just taking out his anger on the wrong people. That had to stop right now. Slowly, he left his truck and stood outside the door facing away from Sweets. Once he had his phone in his hand, he made a call and waited.

 _Brennan_

"Bones, I'm sorry I've been acting so shitty around you. I think maybe you should just give up looking for cause of death for Mom. It won't change anything. My old man buried Mom in that forest and that means he either killed her or she died from her fall which he caused. He's guilty no matter what and . . . and I don't want you to worry about it anymore. I'm just going to let it go. Thank you for working so hard for me and I really do appreciate it . . . I love you Bones and I'm sorry I've been such a pill."

 _I have Clark looking at your mother's remains right now. I think a new perspective is in order, but I do appreciate this phone call Booth . . . I love you too and I would like help you get closure._

"Thanks, but there is never going to be closure." Booth sighed and looked at the traffic passing by next to the parking lot. "My old man is dead, so he can't pay for what he did, at least not in this world . . . Mom is dead, but at least we can bury her and give her some peace. I'm going to bury her with Grandma Alice and Grandpa George. I might not be able to get a plot near them, but it will be in the same cemetery. She really loved her parents and Grandma Alice really missed her when Mom disappeared. I think Grandma Alice died of a broken heart when she thought Mom ran away so my father has to answer to God for more than just Mom's death. Grandpa George died before I was born, so Mom was all Grandma had left besides Jared and me . . . anyway, thank you for working so hard for me, Bones and I'm sorry I've been such a pain in the ass. You've been great and I appreciate it. I really do. I'm going to try to be better. I promise."

 _Are you at work?_

"No Deputy Director Bishop kicked me out of the building. I can't go back until I get my act together." Booth sighed and leaned against his truck. "I guess I've been treating everyone like shit and he got tired of it."

 _Would you like me to meet you somewhere? I can come home._

"Thanks Bones." Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes and thanked God that he had such a wonderful woman in his life and on his side. "I think I'd like that."

 _I'll meet you there._

The call ended, Booth reentered his truck and turned to look at his friend. "Sweets, I'm going to drive you back to work. Bones and I are going to have some alone time and you aren't invited."

He noticed that Booth was now calmer and less angry and for that he was grateful. Sweets didn't know what had made Booth change his attitude, but he was glad it had happened. "Not a problem. It was kind of boring hanging around with you anyway."

A slight smile on his face, Booth turned and started his truck. "You aren't exactly Mr. Excitement yourself. You tell me you're going to hang out with me and then you don't talk to me. What kind of crap is that?"

Since Booth was now in a better mood, Sweets thought it was better to not reply.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

(The Party in the Pants)

Thank you for reading my story. I really appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was there all along. Both Clark and Brennan had examined the skull several times, but the only thing they had found was the hairline fracture of the frontal bone. Her frustration at not being able to find the cause of death made her think that the obvious was keeping her from seeing the actual cause of Marianne's death. While Clark and Wendell observed, Brennan used a saw to cut the skull open and she at last found what she was looking for.

Embarrassed that it had taken her four days to think to do something she would have normally done on the first or second day, Brennan accepted the fact that she had been too emotionally invested in the search to think logically.

Her cheeks pink, Brennan held up the skull so both Clark and Wendell could see what she had found. "Marianne suffered from a subarchnoid hemorrhage. Notice the blood stain in the parietal bone? I surmise that when she fell she sustained a serious enough injury to this area which caused an excessive buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull which ultimately lead to dangerous swelling and pressure on the brain. She would have lost consciousness rather quickly and perhaps Edwin panicked when that happened. If he had taken her to the hospital she would probably have been saved, but we know he didn't do that. He drove her across the state to a national forest. She probably died on the journey and he buried her to hide what he had done or at least caused."

"So Booth's father did kill Marianne." Wendell sighed. "God this is so bad."

Clark shook his head and exhaled deeply. "Thank God I had loving caring parents."

After she placed the skull down on the table, Brennan removed her gloves and threw them in the biohazard bin. "Booth had the love of his grandfather to help him and his brother." That was all she was going to say on the matter. She hated to discuss her private life and history let alone Booth's. It was bad enough that her co-workers knew so much about her history and Booth's, she didn't wish to add to their knowledge. "Mr. Bray please let Dr. Saroyan know that we have found cause of death. I will return to my office and fill out the required forms and then inform Booth of my findings." With that she left the room.

After she was gone, Clark stared at the bones on the table momentarily and grimly turned to find a box to put them in. "No one should have to live with the fact that one parent murdered another. It happens more often than I like to think and all I can think about is the poor children and what they have to go through when it happens. My God, if you can't get along with your spouse then get a divorce for God's sake. None of this makes sense."

Wendell had seen sour relationships in the neighborhood he had grown up in and he knew that it was more complicated than that. "Sometimes people are just too poor to separate or one of the spouses has been brain washed into thinking he or she is getting what they deserve. Some stay because they have kids. It's never as simple as you think. It's hard to break out of a cycle like Booth's parents were in and it takes a lot of strength. Some people don't have that strength."

"Well, Booth broke out of the cycle and he's a good man." Clark carefully picked up the skull and placed it in the box. "My parents taught me a lot of things and one of them was respect and love. I'll always appreciate that I had parents like them. I hit the parent jackpot I guess."

Wendell nodded his head. "Me too man."

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She stood in Booth's office and grimly handed him a folder. "Your mother not only sustained an injury to her hip when she fell, she also sustained an injury to her skull, the parietal bone to be precise. It ultimately led to her demise . . . I'm sorry I didn't discover this sooner . . . I was too emotionally invested in the outcome. Normally I am able to separate my personal feelings from the cases I work on, but for some reason I couldn't do it this time."

After he took the folder from her and placed it on his desk, Booth stood up, came around the desk and pulled Brennan into his arms. "Hey, you were under a lot of pressure and most of it was from me and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you. I trust you and I knew you'd find out the cause sooner or later . . . this is my fault not yours."

Brennan placed her arms around her mate and leaned against him. "You were under a lot of pressure too . . . I'm sorry for your loss, Booth."

He loved her so much and the fact that it had taken her four days to find the cause of his mother's death told him that he had placed too much pressure on her and that was unforgivable. "Thank you . . . I was in shock for those first three days and I treated everyone like shit because I felt like shit. I'm sorry that happened but I have everything under control again. I just lost it for a while I guess . . . I know that I didn't cause my mother's death, my father did that, but I still wish I had called the police. Maybe they could have figured out that my Dad was lying through his teeth when they found out Mom wasn't at a hospital. They could have forced my father to at least take them to where my mother was buried and we could have had a decent funeral for her . . . This is going to hurt Pops when he finds out. I haven't had the guts to tell him yet, but I need to do it now that we know what happened. He loved my Mom and he felt bad when she disappeared . . . Jared was Mom's favorite so he's going to take it bad too."

"I don't know if Jared was really her favorite or not, but she loved you enough to protect you from your father." Brennan kept her ear over Booth's chest and listened to his heart beat. "She probably saved your life and I am grateful for that."

He kept his arms around her and felt the comfort Brennan gave him by being in his life. "I need to tell Pops personally. I can't do that to him over the phone . . . I'll make arrangements to bury Mom and we can have a graveside service. She would have loved it. Mom loved funerals . . . not in a ghoulish way. I just mean, she loved a good cry and to be with family during bad times. I remember going to a couple of funerals with Mom and she'd be so solemn and she'd cry and then when we'd sing a hymn . . . her voice was so pretty . . . we'll have to sing her favorite hymn, 'Morning Has Broken'. She said that it was a song of hope and you always have to have hope." He felt a tear fall down his cheek and he let it. A man has a right to mourn his mother didn't he?

"Yes, we will." Brennan had heard the break in Booth's voice and she knew that it would take time for him to mend, but she knew he would. Her mate was the strongest person she knew. No matter how much tragedy was thrust upon him, he always came through it and she hoped he always would. She planned to be by his side and help him through his troubles like he had been for her. "It's odd that our mothers were found in the Jeffersonian, but we did find them and we know what happened to them. You said there will be no closure for Marianne, but that's not true Booth. She isn't buried in a forest, we know where she is and we can give her remains the respect and dignity they deserve. You now know what happened to your mother and you won't have to continue to wonder why your mother ran away leaving you behind. Now you know that she didn't do that. She was taken away from you. She didn't want to leave you."

Another tear fell and Booth held his arms around Brennan pulling her closer against his body. "Yeah, you're right. She was lost and now she's found and I owe that to you. Thank you."

Oooooooooooooooo

This is the end of my story. Let me know what you think of it. Thank you.


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